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Bring on the Leisure! [Chapter 5]
🕑 Added 2024-02-22 18:05:58 +0000 UTCAlso, super down on Patreon's text editor. I need to manually make the Status screen look reasonable.... haaaah...
ToC: https://www.patreon.com/posts/98777693
The ease of the death of Orange suffocated me. Fuck, fuck, FUCK. If I make a mistake… I will die.
Pop. Just like that. Just like-
I sat still and quivered for a moment, my eyeball fixed on the space where Orange had once been. Despite my best efforts, I began to panic.
It wasn’t fair to say that I approached this second chance at life flippantly; so much had happened so quickly that I had practically been numbed by all the new developments. I had less lost a capacity for human emotions and more just this life was so far from my original experience it was easier to think of the current situation as a dream.
The close proximity to death brought me slamming into the reality of the situation.
While tension twisted inside my jello body, I had the distant thought that maybe it wouldn’t be as easy as expected to have a relaxing second life. But while I had been brought to a stop by the sudden death, the world hurtled forward.
While Orange died and Red roiled with righteous indignation, Green took the opening and body-slammed the mongoose. The impact was loud enough that I oozed a bit more forward, driven by a spike of loyal worry; had Green gotten my warning?
The mongoose reared around, but Green had apparently understood my gestures and bounced away before it could strike. Just as the mongoose moved to follow, Red scratched the mongoose’s side with vengeance, opening up another small wound. A few drops of blood fell out onto Red’s body and instantly the Chimera Core ooze began to swell.
This time, the mongoose spun and slapped Red sideways with its tail. While the Chimera Core was sent tumbling away, the mongoose bounded after Green. The fury in its eyes made it clear it meant to rip a static-charged claw through Green’s body in retribution for the holes her rip-cage spines punched in its skin. My instincts tightened. The panic, while not subsiding, began to be overshadowed by my worry. Time took on an elastic quality as I felt a change in my heart.
I remember their wiggling tentacles and joyous jiggling as Green and Indigo grabbed my tail. It had been so far from those long nights, sitting in front of a computer screen, arguing furiously with anonymous faces. My fear didn't vanish, but it just stared to look weak next to the fresh emotion dominating my consciousness.
These two brought leisure to my life. So paradoxically, no matter what the cost, no matter how much I had to twist and contort myself…
…they needed to survive. That was all that mattered.
In the back of my mind, I found an old friend. I pictured the glittering jaws of clockwork teeth, a stilled behemoth of machinery and precision. An edifice that, when miss- and over-used, belched stress and tension out like black smog from a coal furnace. A construct my therapist always told me was an unrealistic image of how I functioned as a human, but real life had always proven it to be the most reliable vehicle.
The antithesis of relaxation and leisure.
Wait a second, I refocused before I could touch my stilled mental machine. I watched as Green used sharp bouncing changes of direction with her spider legs to keep ahead of the sinuous pursuit of the Mongoose. I picked up an eyeball, a cochlea, and skin. How the hell can I help?
I didn’t get much of a chance to scrounge up an answer. After a few more seconds of merry chance, Green pivoted and headed right for us. The burning desire to help my friend finally ripped its way through the last of my fears.
Clang.
The gears of my exacting monster shifted, just once. The weight of my attention turned heavy. All the details of the environment were fed through the apertures and into metal pipes, processed, and categorized. For an extended moment, nothing satisfactory was produced. Then a new avenue opened: An idea popped out.
One which made use of these new relationships I had formed.
Please don’t linger around for too long, ahhh… am I about to get my precious companion killed? I thought as I looked at Indigo next to me. It looked back, perfectly in unison. Its spider head floated to the front of its ooze body, so maybe we had the same idea? Either way, I produced four tentacles and put them against Indigo. Green bounded over us and the mongoose followed, intent on its current prey. Right as it passed above, I lifted Indigo and put his ooze body in the path of the mongoose’s left foreclaw, the very same that had been pecked by Orange. Blood continued to dribble from the wound.
That’s the other thing, I thought, somewhat in a daze. This plan… requires trust. I’m putting my trust into a serial decapitator.
Essentially just because I like his jello-y dance…
…yup, I’m definitely going to die. But at least it will have been caused by lazy confidence!
Yet, weirdly, the panic became part of a larger rush of release. Indigo felt surprisingly reliable, held in my tentacles. The mongoose flew past, its attention fixed on Green. With less Anima, Indigo and I were smaller in comparison.
Perhaps without the first wound, it would have been impossible, but in a split second the spider head moved forward and chomped with its mandibles, leaving the mongoose’s forepaw only attached by a thin layer of muscle and tendon. With the bite Indigo inflicted, he also sucked away some Anima and doubled in size. My tentacles turned wiggly at the shift. But he loosened his grip and plopped back to the ground rather than greedily staying.
The mongoose didn’t even appear to notice the wound through the pulse of adrenaline… until it hit the ground and tried to jump again and the small amount of flesh connecting leg to flesh snapped.
Its body collapsed and a huge burst of electrical discharge flared around its body. As the severed paw skittered sideways, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach at the discharge. The static around its paw was only the beginning. With that much power… even if we are just near to it-
Mana detected! Skill Proficiency increased!
Mana detected! Skill Proficiency increased!
Mana detected! Skill Proficiency increased!
Your Skill (Temp) Lesser Mana Detection has grown to Level 10 (+1).
Please note: as a transitionary (Temp) Skill, Lesser Mana Detection cannot grow beyond Level 10 until you pass the First Growth Threshold (Level 10). Additional Skill Levels cannot be gained. However, for pushing a Skill past its limits, you will receive additional bonuses upon reaching the First Growth Threshold.
Oh? First Growth Threshold? So there was this sort of System… I hummed to myself while dragging my body forward as fast as it could go. I didn’t need my machine to know how to take advantage of this development. The Static Mongoose’s energy field had fallen and it stood back up with three shaky legs. Green turned around, but before it could make another pass at the Mongoose, a powerful force knocked it sideways.
We had forgotten about the other monster lurking in the background.
Sapphire had simply smashed its crab claw down next to Green, but the other Chimera Core was sent tumbling sideways from the impact’s pressure. Seeing a weakened foe, Sapphire raised its clicking claw and rushed forward. Which left me-
-to freely ooze toward the discarded paw. If I could Integrate it and perhaps gain the ability to produce that static… ah… perhaps finally, this point of Mana of mine…!
I hopped on top of the limb and allowed my instincts to slurp up all the slathered blood. I tried not to imagine myself as a giant tongue dragging itself across the ground.
…even if it was extremely delicious.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +4.
Your Skill Absorb Anima has grown to Level 5.
Would you like to integrate the severed claw of Vindictive Static Mongoose Lvl 10?
Integration requires 8 Anima. Continue?
Luckily for me, there was a little bit of Anima-carrying-blood still leaking out of the severed paw as I opened my rat skin and shifted. So my Anima was boosted to 10 just as 8 was required to Integrate the body part. Flushed with the pleasure of devouring such high-Level blood, I attempted the integration.
You have attempted to Integrate the severed claw of the Vindictive Static Mongoose Lvl 10! You have failed. Integration target has degraded.
Your Skill Integrate Body Part has grown to Level 5.
You have integrated the corroded and severed claw of the Vindictive Static Mongoose Lvl 10! You have unlocked Stat (Temp) Attack. You have unlocked Stat (Temp) Strength. Corroded and Severed Claw of the Vindictive Static Mongoose Lvl 10 provides Attack +1 and Strength +1.
Attack: Slightly boosts damage inflicted.
Strength: Slightly boosts the physical power of the body.
Not what I had hoped for… but still. Two new Stats. Definitely, this will help. I hefted my new claw, repositioning it so it poked out of one of the holes of my tattered rat skin that covered my body. I flexed the four clawed fingers; the movements felt surprisingly natural. With a claw, monopolizing the rewards from this Mongoose is definitely possible.
Feeling quite proud, I looked at my Status Screen.
Name: Tallum Frost (Awakened)
Species: Chimera Core
Level: 5
Health: 14/18
Anima: 2
(Temp) Mana: 1/1
Integrated Body Parts: [Left Eye of the Chubby Rat- Perception+2][Slightly Damaged Cochlea of the Chubby Rat- Perception +1][Left Lung of the Lazy Rat- Recovery +2] [Flawed Monster Core of the Domesticated Hex Spider- Mana +1][Tattered Skin of the Scared Rat- Defense +1][Corroded and Severed Claw of the Vindictive Static Mongoose- Attack +1 and Strength +1]
Stats: (Temp) Perception: 3 (Temp) Recovery: 2 (Temp) Defense: 1
(Temp) Attack: 1 (Temp): Strength: 1
Skills: (Species) Absorb Anima Lvl 5, (Species) Integrate Body Part Lvl 5
(Temp) Lesser Mana Detection Lvl 10 (+1)
Yup, yup, definitely filling out nicely. Although… tsk, these temporary labels next to my Stats are a real bummer. My body quivered. But then I steeled my resolve and turned back to the battle. Panic and worry made sure I couldn’t be distracted for too long. I suspected we would need to deal with more than just the mongoose in order for all three of us to make it out of this place.
Just when I looked back over, I saw Sapphire turn away from the mongoose and hammer its claw down. Red scrambled back out of the way but still had part of its body pulped, including its beak. The ooze reformed, but the beak did not.
Ah, I never thought about that. These body parts… can be damaged. No wonder the Stats are temporary…
With Sapphire distracted, Green bounced forward and did its spiky body slam into the mongoose. This time the mongoose pivoted so the attack hit its tail, but several more small wounds began to weep blood. Before it could manifest its dangerous static ability, Green bounced away, inflating until it was closer to about one-third of the size of the mongoose, comparable to Sapphire.
I hadn’t thought about it much before, but actually… weren’t we Chimera Cores quite monstrous opponents? Physical attacks didn’t work well at all, we grew stronger by drinking the life energy of our enemies, and we could incorporate body parts of our victims into our power.
I oozed back over to Indigo’s side. It looked at me, waiting for our next move. I grabbed its rat tail and pulled it after me, while the mongoose chased a happy seeming Green, and Sapphire marched after them with its crab claw raised.
They made a silly-looking parade, but instead of candy, they tossed off blood spatter for the applauding attendees.
I led Indigo to the drops of blood left by the wounded mongoose, taking a little more than half for myself, but leaving some for Indigo. Many provided nothing but the opportunity to absorb the mongoose’s blood (would this provide benefits as well?) but a few had some Anima.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
Tragically, all of the life remaining in the blood was minute. A single drop of fresh blood was worth as much as all these other shits combined. But with a little boost to our Anima, I led Indigo with haste toward the continued fighting.
I wished I could shout a warning as my skill pinged.
Mana detected! Skill Proficiency increased!
Mana detected! Skill Proficiency increased!
Already crackling with static energy, the mongoose predicted the direction of Green’s bounce and lunged to catch up. The movement was vicious and timed perfectly; the Level 10 monster swung a crackling paw.
Just like that, all the panic seized my body again. I didn’t need to activate the machine to know what was about to happen.
I felt that horrible numbness again, from my parents' funeral.
The attack ripped through Green’s side. Suddenly, all the extra size that Green had gained vanished. It had become as small as I was. A spider leg kicked, perhaps just from the shock running through Green’s body, smashing the mongoose in the face and slowing its pursuit. The crackling claw no longer ate through the Chimera Core. Green bounced and rolled across the ground, still stunned.
But with that opening, Sapphire caught up-- it brought its crab claw hammering down on the mongoose, right about where the two back legs met the body. I heard the mongoose’s spine snap. Meanwhile, Indigo tensed and then oozed rapidly toward Green.
Green still lived, I could see its diminished but still present ooze. With Indigo handling the concern portion, I felt the burden of vengeance settling across my jello.
Fuck… compared to this paw of mine, I glanced sideways at the body part I had just absorbed. The fingers were desiccated and oozing, the fur matted and dirty. Definitely, corroded and severed didn’t even begin to describe its ugly appearance. Then I looked at Sapphire. Frustration became acid-reflux in my jello body. …isn’t that crab claw pristine? Practically perfect? What sort of bullshit is this? The crab claw is likely from the Level 8 foe…
Did his Integrate Body Part not fail? Could that brain he absorbed have been from a Lucky Rat?
The mongoose let out a keening wail and thrashed around for only a few moments; when it recovered enough to wheel around, its eyes blazed with fury. More static crackled across its claw as it slashed at the crab arm that had so wounded it. The claws cracked the previously immaculate shell, but didn’t inflict much damage.
I felt a realization hit me. Just like our ooze bodies resisted physical attacks, our physical body parts could endure Mana-based attacks much more easily. Definitely, we Chimera Cores were dangerous existences when we relied on our unnatural advantages.
Mana detected! Skill Proficiency increased!
Mana detected! Skill Proficiency increased!
Your Skill (Temp) Lesser Mana Detection has grown to Level 10 (+2).
Sapphire tried to bring its claw down on the mongoose’s head, but the mongoose rolled sideways and avoided it. Judging by its twisted mouth and bloodshot eyes, dragging its incapacitated lower half behind it was agonizing. But seeing the way it barely avoided the attack and remained fixated on Sapphire, I could understand why the System had called it the ‘vindictive’ mongoose.
And when the claw hit the ground, the mongoose swiped. Its claws ripped into the ooze body of Sapphire— to my immense glee, one of those claws bisected the small organ floating in the middle.
Keh, what can two halves of a lucky brain do for you? I oozed forward, ready for the oldest human survival method: opportunism.
Also ready to extract a heavy price dragging me up to the precipice of more loss.
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